In this solo episode, Michael kicks back by the river in Texas and reflects on what’s really been working in Amazon PPC this year. After talking to about 80 sellers and marketers every month, one thing stands out in 2025: shifting spend from non-converting to converting.

He breaks it down with real numbers, talks through what most people miss when they try to lower ACOS, and shares exactly how to track and cut non-converting spending. 

Plus, he drops a few of his favorite tactics like duplicate search term analysis and n-gram analysis. Most importantly, he walks through one fix that can dramatically improve your ACOS — without spending more. 

We’ll see you in The PPC Den!
🦡 Highlights

• 00:00 – Greetings from the Pedernales River, thoughts about PPC and spring

• 00:51 – The most important insight of 2025

• 01:01 – Mike’s favorite Amazon PPC action: redirecting spend

• 01:31 – What really causes high ACOS: not sales, but spend

• 01:59 – How to find non-converting spend

• 03:27 – Example from an account: $10K spend, $30K revenue, 60% non-converting

• 04:27 – How to reduce ACOS from 33% to 31% without creating new campaigns

• 05:27 – Redirecting $1000 non-converting spend to a keyword with 50% ACOS

• 05:57 – The joy of lowering ACOS and increasing revenue at the same time

• 06:22 – How to track non-converting spend: first steps

• 06:51 – Why it’s important to check reports over different periods (7, 14, 28 days)

• 07:30 – What it means if spend doesn’t double when the period doubles

• 08:27 – Why it’s important to use longer periods for data analysis

• 08:56 – First step after downloading the report: sort by highest spend without orders

• 09:24 – Data analysis by buckets: broad, phrase, auto, close match

• 09:52 – How to combine repeated search terms for more accurate analysis

• 10:20 – Importance of aggregating data across keys appearing in different ad groups

🦡 Resources & Links

• 🦡 GET AD BADGER ➡️

• Where to find Michael, Michael Erickson Facchin

• Non-Converting Spend: Misunderstood or Mismanaged? A Closer Look at Your PPC Campaigns

• What strategies can help minimize wasted spend in Amazon PPC?

• How to Achieve Low ACOS with Negative Keywords?

• Analyzing 2 Amazon Advertising PPC Accounts With Low ACOS

• Why Is Your ACOS So High?

• 📚 Unlock our FREE comprehensive Amazon Marketing Playbook

• Subscribe to our newsletter

• Transform your workflow with our comprehensive Amazon Advertising checklist

• Review all our show notes

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Host and Executive Producer: Michael Erickson Facchin

Senior Producer: Nancy Lili Gonzalez

Podcast Coordinator & Graphic Designer: Sofiia Podash

Video and Audio Editor: Pedro Moreno

In this episode, Michael sits down with Brent Zahradnik to dive deep into how to find products that actually sell on Amazon — without spending a dime on ads. Brent breaks down his exact process for spotting organic winners, sharing real-life examples, tools, and tips that helped him build a successful Amazon business.

They cover how to analyze market trends, read customer signals, and pick products that practically sell themselves. 

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale your store, our insights will help you avoid costly mistakes and find products with real potential. 

We’ll see you in The PPC Den!

🦡 Highlights ​​

• 0:00 — Intro
• 1:05 – Discussing Product Research Without Ads  
• 3:20 – Importance of Targeting in Amazon PPC  
• 5:10 – Traffic Sculpting Strategy: What It Is and How It Works  
• 7:00 – Tips for Optimizing Ad Campaigns  
• 9:30 – Success Stories and Common Mistakes to Avoid  
• 10:45 – Outro

• 🦡 GET AD BADGER ➡️
• Where to find Michael, Michael Erickson Facchin
• Where to find Brent, Brent Zahradnik
• Amazon’s New Expanded Product Targeting: How Do I Make the Most of It?
• 5 Things You Don’t Know About Product Targeting
• Sneaky defaults that drain your budget in 2025
• 6 Steps To Have A Successful Product Launch For Your Amazon PPC Campaign
• 📚 Unlock our FREE comprehensive Amazon Marketing Playbook
• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Transform your workflow with our comprehensive Amazon Advertising checklist
• Review all our show notes

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Host and Executive Producer: Michael Erickson Facchin

Guest Co-Host: Brent Zahradnik

Senior Producer: Nancy Lili Gonzalez

Podcast Coordinator & Graphic Designer: Sofiia Podash

Video and Audio Editor: Pedro Moreno 

What’s up, Badger Nation? Mike here, camping in the Cascades, hunting for the elusive North American badger  and some killer Amazon PPC tips.

In this episode, we dive into the power of negative keywords and why doing a negative keyword reset could seriously level up your ad game. Think of it like clearing out the old to make space for the new — your product and market change, so your negatives should too.

I share smart ways to reset negatives without chaos, why timing (hello, seasonality!) matters, and how to get more control over your PPC traffic flow.

If you’ve been scared to add negatives because “what if I need them later?” — here’s the secret: you can take them off again. This reset lets you clean up wasted spend AND test new opportunities.

We’ll see you in The PPC Den!

🦡 Highlights ​​

• 0:00 — Mike goes wild chasing badgers in the Cascades 🦡
• 2:30 — How top sellers keep ACoS super low 
• 4:00 — Why negative keyword management matters
• 5:30 — When to hit the big RESET button on negatives
• 7:30 — Sneaky campaign-by-campaign negative cleanup hacks
• 10:00 — Benefits of resetting negatives for visibility
• 13:00 — Ad Badger tools that make negative keyword ninja moves

• 🦡 GET AD BADGER ➡️
• Where to find Michael, Michael Erickson Facchin
• How to Achieve Low ACOS with Negative Keywords?
• How And Why To Use Negatives In Your Amazon PPC
• Answered Prayers: Negative ASIN Targeting Comes to Auto Campaigns
• Negative ASIN in Amazon PPC Auto Campaigns: Is it Possible? (Part 1)
• Negative ASIN in Amazon PPC Auto Campaigns: Is it Possible? (Part 2)
• 📚 Unlock our FREE comprehensive Amazon Marketing Playbook
• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Transform your workflow with our comprehensive Amazon Advertising checklist
• Review all our show notes

-

Host and Executive Producer: Michael Erickson Facchin

Senior Producer: Nancy Lili Gonzalez

Podcast Coordinator & Graphic Designer: Sofiia Podash

Video and Audio Editor: Pedro Moreno 

Today, Elizabeth Greene and I dove into one of the most misunderstood topics in Amazon advertising — vCPM in Sponsored Brands campaigns. Mike still hears people say how great the low ACOS looks for vCPM, but we broke down why that can be misleading.

We talked about the difference between CPC and vCPM, how attribution works (clicks vs views), and how ACOS is calculated depending on what data source you're looking at — ad console, bulk files, API, or AMC. We also discussed when vCPM actually makes sense and when it doesn't. 

Spoiler ⚠️: don't use it for brand defense.

We walked through how vCPM can become cheaper than CPC if your CTR is high enough, the creative and retargeting advantages it can offer, and why Mike sees less than 5% of ad budgets going to vCPM even in his best accounts.

If you've ever been confused about why you can't switch from vCPM to CPC, or how to measure true performance in SB campaigns  this episode is for you.

We’ll see you in The PPC Den!

🦡 Highlights ​​

• 0:00 - Meet Elizabeth Greene 

• 2:20 – How to adapt to instability in eCommerce?

• 5:20 – What do clients expect in 2025?

• 6:12 – The role of automation: good or bad?

• 8:05 – How campaign structures changed in 2025?

• 9:15 – Performance Max and new ad formats on Amazon

• 13:05 – Why do analytics matter more than ever?

• 15:22 – Can brands still scale in 2025?

• 19:00 - Optimization based on click and view attribution

• 20:00 - How to download a bulk file for analysis of ACoS and other metrics

• 21:00- Benefits and drawbacks of VCPM campaigns for different brands

• 22:00 - VCPM campaigns and their potential for brands with unique products

• 25:00 - Marketing campaigns similar to "Shark Tank" for unique products

• 26:00 - VCPM with high CTR vs. CPC campaigns

• 🦡 GET AD BADGER ➡️

• Where to find Michael, Michael Erickson Facchin

• Where to find Elizabeth,  Elizabeth Greene

• Junglr

• Sneaky defaults that drain your budget in 2025

• How to Make Amazon Advertising Profitable in 2025?

• RPSB (Research peel stick and block) 2025 Update

• Why Aren’t You Testing Placement Adjustments in Amazon PPC? 

• 2025 Amazon Marketing Resolutions and Intentions

• 📚 Unlock our FREE comprehensive Amazon Marketing Playbook

• Subscribe to our newsletter

• Transform your workflow with our comprehensive Amazon Advertising checklist

• Review all our show notes

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Host and Executive Producer: Michael Erickson Facchin

Guest Co-Host: Elizabeth Greene

Senior Producer: Nancy Lili Gonzalez

Podcast Coordinator & Graphic Designer: Sofiia Podash

Video and Audio Editor: Pedro Moreno

In this episode of the PPC Den podcast, Michael dives into the world of Amazon PPC metrics, and trust us, things get tasty. 

He compares your PPC performance to TACoS —yes, TACoS! Michael breaks down key metrics like ACOS, TACOS, and ROAS, explaining how each one impacts your campaign’s flavor and success. 

Grab your Amazon PPC metrics (or maybe just a really tasty Mexican taco) and tune in for this savory breakdown!

We’ll see you in The PPC Den!

🦡 Highlights ​​

• 0:00 - Intro 
• 1:30 - Explaining the difference between total ACOS and TACoS
• 5:00 - The interaction between paid and organic sales on Amazon
• 7:30 - Evaluating PPC effectiveness with TACoS
• 10:00 - Balancing paid vs. organic sales for better performance
• 12:00 - The importance of a long-term strategy in optimizing TACoS
• 15:00 - How to lower TACoS and improve overall performance
• 18:00 - Maximizing profitability through improved ad spend
• 21:24 - Can a higher ACOS still lead to a healthier business? Yes, it can
• 22:22 - Targeting keywords where your brand has an advantage
• 22:38 - Creating a single keyword campaign to maximize visibility and orders
• 23:01 - Search query performance data and its role in boosting organic sales
• 23:28 - Recap: The four misconceptions about TACoS and corrections
• 24:17 - The exciting new features in our software
• 26:17 - Always consider TACoS in relation to organic performance and profitability

• 🦡 GET AD BADGER ➡️

• Where to find Michael, Michael Erickson Facchin

• How to Make Amazon Advertising Profitable in 2025?

• How Do I Optimize for Total ACOS Goals in Amazon Advertising? (Classic)

• Evolving Thoughts: Total ACOS for Amazon Advertising 

• How do I Improve Amazon Total ACOS Fast? Boost Organic Ranking

• 📚 Unlock our FREE comprehensive Amazon Marketing Playbook: https://www.adbadger.com/amazon-ppc-checklist/

• Subscribe to our newsletter

• Transform your workflow with our comprehensive Amazon Advertising checklist

• Review all our show notes

-

Host and Executive Producer: Michael Erickson Facchin

Senior Producer: Nancy Lili Gonzalez

Podcast Coordinator & Graphic Designer: Sofiia Podash

Video and Audio Editor: Pedro Moreno 

Are you Scared Sammy or Aggressive Andy? In this solo episode, Michael walks through takeaways from The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel, and how those lessons apply to your Amazon PPC Campaigns.

He’ll discuss the importance of luck, the bias of recency, managing search term reports,  different scenarios implementing these lessons through Scared Sammy and Aggressive Andy, and more!

This episode is a rerelease of one of our most popular episodes. Please note the resources and link section for any relevant updates.

We’ll see you in The PPC Den!

🦡 Resources & Links

• 0:00 – What to Expect in This Episode

• 00:27 – The Psychology of Money

• 1:00 – The Importance of Luck

• 1:50 – Time Horizons & Risk Tolerance

• 2:37 – The Bias of Recency

• 5:00 – Managing Search Term Reports

• 🦡 GET AD BADGER ➡️

• Where to find Michael, Michael Erickson Facchin

• The Wait Is Over… Search Term Reports For Sponsored Brand Ads Are Here

• Long Tail Search Terms: The Amazon PPC Silent Killer

• How Do I Identify And Handle Duplicates In Amazon Search Term Report?

• 📚 Unlock our FREE comprehensive Amazon Marketing Playbook

• Subscribe to our newsletter

• Transform your workflow with our comprehensive Amazon Advertising checklist 

• Review all our show notes

-

Host and Executive Producer: Michael Erickson Facchin

Senior Producer: Nancy Lili Gonzalez

Podcast Coordinator & Graphic Designer: Sofiia Podash

Video and Audio Editor: Pedro Moreno 

In this episode with Sean Stone, we dive into the zone of possibility on Amazon. Ever wonder if your product can actually rank, or are you just throwing ad spend into the wind? 

We’ll break it all down — how to spot real rankable opportunities, why your conversion rate is your secret weapon, and how to build smart, isolated keyword budgets that actually make sense.

Oh, and before we get serious, you’ll hear some fun warm-up stories — like why Sean has a Walt Disney mug he didn’t choose himself, and why Nicolas Cage and The Rock are now his permanent office coworkers.

If you're ready to think differently about PPC and get more out of what you already have — this one's for you.

We’ll see you in The PPC Den!

🦡 Highlights

• 00:00 – Intro

• 05:00 – What is the Zone of Possibility?

• 11:00 – How to spot rankable products

• 18:00 – Smart PPC budget moves

• 24:00 – Rankable vs incremental keywords

• 31:00 – When to spend, when to stop

• 38:00 – Your conversion rate superpower

• 44:00 – How PPC drives organic growth

• Where to find Michael, Michael Erickson Facchin
• 🦡 ⁠GET AD BADGER⁠ ➡️
• Where to find Sean,  Sean Stone
• Stone's Goods
• Sneaky defaults that drain your budget in 2025
• Should You Use Amazon Ad’s New Budget Rules?
• How to Use Amazon’s New Budget Tab and Report
• How Can I Use Phrase Match To Rank Higher On Amazon?
• Launching 54 Campaigns to Rank Multiple Products in the Top 10 on Amazon
• 📚 Unlock our FREE comprehensive Amazon Marketing Playbook
• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Transform your workflow with our comprehensive Amazon Advertising checklist
• Review all our show notes

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Host and Executive Producer: Michael Erickson Facchin

Guest Co-Host:  Sean Stone

Senior Producer: Nancy Lili Gonzalez

Podcast Coordinator & Graphic Designer: Sofiia Podash

Video and Audio Editor: Pedro Moreno

In this episode with Noemi Bolojan, we’re talking about something a lot of people miss — the sneaky defaults in Amazon ads that quietly eat up your budget. You set up a campaign, trust the platform to guide you, and boom — money’s leaking without you even noticing.

Noemi breaks down how things like automatic bidding (yep, it goes up and down by default), broad targeting, and off-Amazon ads all kick in unless you change them. Sounds helpful, right? But in reality, those settings often work better for Amazon than they do for you.

Think your product is getting shown to the right audience? Not always. Default category targeting or expanded targeting might be pushing your ads to places they don’t belong — and you’re paying for it. 

So if you’re running ads in 2025, this episode is a little wake-up call. 

We’ll see you in The PPC Den!

🦡 Highlights ​​

• 00:00 – Intro

• 01:09 – Amazon Ads in 2025

• 02:43 – The Hidden Budget Drainers

• 03:30 – Keyword Category Auto-Targeting Without Consent

• 06:34 – Manual Targeting That’s Not Really Manual

• 13:31 – Campaign Bidding Strategy: The “Up and Down” Trap

• 18:17 – Maximize Reach = Maximize Waste?

• 20:20 – Auto-Launch in Other Countries? 

• 25:25 – Product Targeting Campaigns Showing for Keywords

• 27:48 – Sponsored Brands

• 30:10 – Category Targeting Defaults

• 31:22 – Expanded Product Targeting

• 32:51 – Sponsored Brands Defaults Across All Ad Formats

• 34:27 – Sponsored Display Defaults to VCPM Reach
• 36:51 – Sponsored Brands Video Glitch
• 42:33 – Sponsored Display: All Targeting Types Defaulted On

• 🦡 GET AD BADGER ➡️
• Where to find Michael, Michael Erickson Facchin
• Where to find  Noemi, Noemi Bolojan
• Scale Wave
• How to Make Amazon Advertising Profitable in 2025?
• Tackle 70% Wasted Spend with N-Gram Laddering in Amazon Ads
• How Product Targeting in Manual Campaigns on Amazon Actually Works (Classic)
• Bidding On Branded Keywords: What Happens When You Turn Them Off?
• 📚 Unlock our FREE comprehensive Amazon Marketing Playbook
• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Transform your workflow with our comprehensive Amazon Advertising checklist
• Review all our show notes

-

Host and Executive Producer: Michael Erickson Facchin

Guest Co-Host: Noemi Bolojan

Senior Producer: Nancy Lili Gonzalez

Podcast Coordinator & Graphic Designer: Sofiia Podash

Video and Audio Editor: Pedro Moreno

You're listening to the PPC Den Podcast.

In this episode, I’m diving into a topic that’s been on my mind lately. It all started when I was cleaning up a client's search term report. At first glance, things looked fine. Decent ACoS, plenty of conversions, nothing too dramatic. 

So I kept digging. And that’s when I noticed it — this pattern inside the search terms. A couple of words, just two or three, that kept repeating across multiple phrases. That’s when it hit me — this is an N-Gram problem.

In today’s episode, I’ll walk you through what N-Gram Laddering is, how I used it to clean up that account, and how you can apply it to your own search term reports.  If you’ve ever felt like your campaigns are doing okay, but not great — this might be the insight you didn’t know you needed.

We’ll see you in The PPC Den!

🦡 Highlights ​​

• 00:00 – Intro

• 01:00 – How I discovered a hidden pattern in a client account

• 03:15 – What are N-Grams in Amazon PPC

• 05:20 – The moment I realized it was hurting performance

• 06:45 – Breaking down N-Gram Laddering

• 08:10 – How to identify wasteful patterns in your search term report

• 10:00 – When to negate and when to keep N-Grams

• 11:30 – Applying the N-Gram mindset to your daily optimization

• 13:00 – Common mistakes 

• 🦡 GET AD BADGER ➡️

• Where to find Michael, Michael Erickson Facchin

• Use the n-gram Sheet to get insight in 5 minutes

• N-Gram Guide: Fixing Low-Click Terms in Amazon PPC

• How N-gram analysis found a keyword with 200 clicks and 1 order

• How Can I Be The Most Efficient With My N-Gram Analysis?

• How Do I Implement N-Gram Analysis on Amazon PPC?

• 🎉Ad Badger v3 Software Launch Webinar

• 📚 Unlock our FREE comprehensive Amazon Marketing Playbook

• Subscribe to our newsletter

• Transform your workflow with our comprehensive Amazon Advertising checklist

• Review all our show notes

-

Host and Executive Producer: Michael Erickson Facchin

Senior Producer: Nancy Lili Gonzalez

Podcast Coordinator & Graphic Designer: Sofiia Podash

Video and Audio Editor: Pedro Moreno

Badger Nation,  we just dropped an epic episode with Joe from Ad Advance and it’s straight-up fire. 

AMC is like unlocking a secret door to your most valuable customers. I’m talking about those people who viewed your product, added it to cart, but didn’t buy—and you can bring them back with precision.

Good news, AMC finally lets you layer audiences on top of your Sponsored Product campaigns. Amazon made it super easy too.  A few clicks and you’re creating killer campaigns that hit your most valuable prospects exactly when it matters.

We’ll see you in The PPC Den!

🦡 Highlights ​​

• 00:00 – Intro

• 01:20 - What is Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC)?

• 03:45 - Creating Your First Audience

• 05:10 - Why Retargeting Works 

• 10:15 - The Power of Stacking Audiences

• 12:00 - Building Effective Funnels

• 16:50 - Common Use Cases 

• 20:30 - Insights on Sponsored Ads & DSP Integration 

• 26:00 - Starting Your First AMC Audience

• 28:30 - Using No-Code Templates

• 30:00 - Creating Rolling vs. Fixed Audiences 
• 32:00 - Optimizing Sponsored Ads with AMC Audiences
• 36:00 - Outro & Where to Find Joe

• 🦡 GET AD BADGER ➡️

• Where to find Michael, Michael Erickson Facchin

• Where to find Joe, Joe Shelerud

• Ad Advance

• How Can I Best Use Amazon Marketing Cloud?

• How Do I Get Started With Amazon DSP?

• An Introduction to Targeting Options on the Amazon DSP

• Into The Great Unknown: Amazon DSP With Kiri Masters

• Using Amazon DSP and AMC to Fully Understand the Customer Journey

• Amazon DSP Campaign Setup Made Easy: A Complete Guide

• Finding Your Audience in Amazon’s Demand-Side Platform (DSP)

• 🎉Ad Badger v3 Software Launch Webinar

• 📚 Unlock our FREE comprehensive Amazon Marketing Playbook

• Subscribe to our newsletter

• Transform your workflow with our comprehensive Amazon Advertising checklist

• Review all our show notes

-

Host and Executive Producer: Michael Erickson Facchin

Guest Co-Host: Joe Shelerud

Senior Producer: Nancy Lili Gonzalez

Podcast Coordinator & Graphic Designer: Sofiia Podash

Video and Audio Editor: Pedro Moreno